William O'Neill (Ohio)
William O'Neill (Democratic Party) was a judge of the Ohio Supreme Court. He assumed office in 2013. He left office on January 26, 2018.
O'Neill (Democratic Party) ran for election for Governor of Ohio. He lost in the Democratic primary on May 8, 2018.
O'Neill was a justice on the Ohio Supreme Court. He was elected on November 6, 2012.[1] His last term would have expired on January 1, 2019.[2] Because he will have reached Ohio's mandatory retirement age, O'Neill was not eligible to run for re-election to the court in 2018. In 2017, O'Neill announced he would resign from the court to run for election as governor of Ohio.[3]
After he announced his candidacy, Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor issued a statement:
| “ | I am aware that Justice William O’Neill has announced his intention to run for governor. I am also aware that Justice O’Neill has indicated that he intends to remain a member of the Supreme Court for the foreseeable future. Justice O’Neill’s decision to announce his candidacy is obviously a decision only he can make. His decision may, however, implicate a number of considerations that are governed by the Rules for the Governance of the Judiciary and the Code of Judicial Conduct. As such, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on his decision relative to those considerations. Under our current rules there is no mechanism by which this Court could require Justice O’Neill to recuse himself from any pending cases. I encourage Justice O’Neill to consider his future course of conduct in light of his oath of judicial office and the ethical obligations imposed upon all judges of this state, which are designed to protect the interests of litigants, the public’s trust and confidence in the fair administration of justice, and the institution of the judiciary as a separate branch of government.[4][5] | ” |
On November 3, O'Neill announced that he would recuse himself from all new cases but continue to work on cases under consideration before his announcement.[6] Rep. Niraj Antani (R) sponsored a resolution in the Ohio House of Representatives calling on O'Neill to remove himself from the bench. The resolution stated, "“By becoming a partisan candidate for a non-judicial office, Justice O’Neill has shaken the public’s trust, compromised the independence of the judiciary, and betrayed the voters who elected him as a non-partisan jurist." Antani claimed that O'Neil's decision to stay on the bench while running for governor violated the Code of Judicial Ethics.[7]
Education
O'Neill received his undergraduate degree from Ohio University, his J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and a nursing degree from the Huron School of Nursing.[1]
Career
- 2013 - 2017: Justice, Ohio Supreme Court
- 1997-2007: Judge, Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals
- 1984-1996: Assistant Attorney General, Ohio
- Registered Nurse in Pediatric Emergency Department of Hillcrest Hospital (Cleveland, Ohio)[1]
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Governor of Ohio
The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Ohio on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Richard Michael DeWine (R) | 50.4 | 2,231,917 |
 | Richard Cordray (D) | 46.7 | 2,067,847 | |
 | Travis Irvine (L)  | 1.8 | 79,985 | |
 | Constance Gadell-Newton (G) | 1.1 | 49,475 | |
 | Renea Turner (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 185 | |
 | Richard Duncan (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 132 | |
 | Rebecca Ayres (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 41 | |
| Total votes: 4,429,582 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Collin Hill (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Ohio on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Cordray | 62.2 | 428,159 |
 | Dennis J. Kucinich | 23.0 | 158,284 | |
 | Joseph Schiavoni | 9.2 | 63,131 | |
 | William O'Neill | 3.3 | 22,667 | |
| Paul Ray | 1.4 | 9,536 | |
| Larry Ealy | 1.0 | 7,011 | |
| Total votes: 688,788 | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Connie Pillich (D)
- Jonathan Heavey (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Governor of Ohio
Richard Michael DeWine defeated Mary Taylor in the Republican primary for Governor of Ohio on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Richard Michael DeWine | 59.8 | 499,639 |
 | Mary Taylor | 40.2 | 335,328 | |
| Total votes: 834,967 | |||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jim Renacci (R)
Green primary election
Green primary for Governor of Ohio
Constance Gadell-Newton advanced from the Green primary for Governor of Ohio on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Constance Gadell-Newton | 100.0 | 3,031 |
| Total votes: 3,031 | |||
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Noteworthy events
Facebook post discussing sexual history
On November 17, 2017, following allegations of sexual harassment that had been levied against Sen. Al Franken (D) earlier in the week, O'Neill posted the following message on his personal Facebook account:
| “ | Now that the dogs of war are calling for the head of Senator Al Franken I believe it is time to speak up on behalf of all heterosexual males. As a candidate for Governor let me save my opponents some research time. In the last fifty years I was sexually intimate with approximately 50 very attractive females. It ranged from a gorgeous blonde who was my first true love and we made passionate love in the hayloft of her parents barn and ended with a drop dead gorgeous red head from Cleveland. Now can we get back to discussing legalizing marijuana and opening the state hospital network to combat the opioid crisis. I am sooooo disappointed by this national feeding frenzy about sexual indiscretions decades ago. Peace.[5] |
” |
| —William O'Neill[8] | ||
On November 19, 2017, O'Neill posted the following message in response:
| “ | There comes a time in everyone's life when you have to admit you were wrong. It is Sunday morning and i am preparing to go to church and get right with God. But first I have to get right with my family, my friends, and the thousands of strangers who have been hurt by my insensitive remarks. I am sorry. I have damaged the national debate on the very real subject of sexual harassment, abuse and unfortunately rape. It is not a laughing matter. It wasn't when I prosecuted sexual misconduct for the State of Ohio, and it is not now. To my daughters, Katie Corrin O'Neill, Tiffany O'Neill Scullen, and my sisters Patricia O'Neill Sacha and Mary Kaye O'Neill, accomplished women all, please accept my public apology for dragging you into this matter. You deserved better treatment than this. I love you, respect you, and yes. I was wrong. Thank you for loving me enough to stand up to my departure from a loving life.[5] | ” |
| —William O'Neill[9] | ||
In response to the post, Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper criticized O'Neill's remarks: "We’re having a serious national conversation about rape culture and sexual harassment, and it’s crucial for men to take time to listen to women and consider their experiences and insights...Justice O’Neill’s Facebook comments both dehumanize women and do nothing but trivialize this important conversation, which is actually about harassment and abuse, not encounters between consenting adults."[10]
The criticism was echoed by gubernatorial candidate and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor (R), who stated that "There’s a very serious conversation going on right now in this country about sexual harassment and @BillForOhio's crass post is ill-timed and dismissive at best. We have to be better than this."[11] O'Neill's four opponents for the Democratic nomination called on him to withdraw over the remarks.[12]
Following the post, O'Neill's campaign manager, Chris Clevenger, announced his resignation from the campaign, citing his own past as a victim of sexual assault.[13]
Media responses to the events focused on the broader context of O'Neill's response in light of other allegations of sexual harassment and abuse that had been levied against political and entertainment figures in autumn 2017. In an editorial published in the Cincinnati Enquirer, editor Katie Vogel argued that the post underscored the need for more female political figures: "Perhaps you can go back to discussing the opioid epidemic and legalizing marijuana and the rest of your progressive policy concerns when you start behaving like a decent human being. Until then, perhaps it's time to re-evaluate your ability to represent all of the citizens of Ohio. And perhaps it's time for more women to run for office, no matter their political affiliation."[14]
2012 election
- See also: Ohio judicial elections, 2012
O'Neill defeated Fanon Rucker in the Democratic primary on March 6, winning 71.38% of the vote.[15] He defeated incumbent Justice Robert Cupp in the general election on November 6, winning 52.51% of the vote.[16]
Platform
Judge William O'Neill ran for the court for the third time. In 2006 he competed against Justice O'Donnell.[17] (He also challenged O'Donnell in 2004.)[18] O'Neill is running to highlight what he calls as a "broken" system of judicial selection in the state.[19] As he said in his campaign announcement:
This is about a fundamental difference of opinion between those of us who are tired of selling judicial seats to the highest bidder and those who seek to protect the old ways of electing justices in Ohio. Ohio’s judicial-selection process is broken, and Robert Cupp is part of the problem.[18]
Ohio State Bar Association rating
In June and September of 2012, the Ohio State Bar Association rated O'Neill as "Recommended" according to eight criteria: legal knowledge and ability, professional competence, judicial temperament, integrity, diligence, health, personal responsibility, and public/community service.[20][21]
Cleveland bar association ratings
According to the compiled results at Judge4Yourself.com, O'Neill received a rating of 4 out of 4 by local Cleveland bar associations in 2012. Those break down as:
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association: Excellent-preferred
- Cuyahoga Criminal Defense Lawyers Association: Excellent
- Norman S. Minor Bar Association: Excellent
- Ohio Women's Bar Association: Not rated[22]
OSBA letter
In November 2012, the Judicial Election Campaign Advertising Monitoring Committee of the Ohio State Bar Association wrote the O'Neill campaign a letter asking O'Neill to stop implying that justice is for sale, that judges can be purchased with campaign contributions. In the letter, the committee asked that O'Neill remove a video on his campaign website that "impugned the integrity of Cupp [his opponent] and the Supreme Court."[23] In response, O'Neill said he will not remove the video.[23]
2006 election
In 2006, O'Neill again challenged incumbent Justice O'Donnell as he ran for re-election.
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Party | Election % |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Terrence O'Donnell  |
Yes | Term commencing January 1, 2007 | Republican | 58.7% | |
| William O'Neill | No | Term commencing January 1, 2007 | Democratic | 41.3% |
2004 election
In 2004, O'Neill challenged incumbent Justice Terrence O'Donnell for his seat on the Ohio Supreme Court.
| Candidate | Incumbent | Seat | Party | Election % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrence O'Donnell |
Yes | Term commencing January 1, 2005 | Republican | 60.5% | |
| William O'Neill | No | Term commencing January 1, 2005 | Democratic | 39.5% |
See also
| Ohio | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Supreme Court Biography, William M. O'Neill
- ↑ See Judicial selection in Ohio
- ↑ The Vindicator, "Judge DeGenaro of Poland appointed to Ohio Supreme Court," January 26, 2018
- ↑ Dayton Daily News, "Ohio Chief Justice issues warning to Justice O’Neill after he announces run for governor," October 29, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Justice running for governor says he’ll vote on some cases," November 5, 2017
- ↑ The Blade, "Resolution seeks justice's removal from office," November 9, 2017
- ↑ AOL, "Sitting state Supreme Court justice defends Al Franken by boasting of escapades with '50 very attractive females'," November 17, 2017
- ↑ Facebook, "Bill O'Neill," November 20, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Ohio governor candidate apologizes for boasting of sexual history with ’50 very attractive females’," November 18, 2017
- ↑ Twitter, "Mary Taylor," November 17, 2017
- ↑ Q13 FOX, "Candidate for Ohio governor reveals sexual past on Facebook," November 17, 2017
- ↑ Newsweek, "WHO IS BILL O'NEILL? THE OHIO GOVERNOR CANDIDATE CLAIMS HE WAS 'INTIMATE' WITH '50 VERY ATTRACTIVE FEMALES'," November 17, 2017
- ↑ Cincinnati Enquirer, "Ohio candidate extolls sexual history, claims to speak for 'all heterosexual males.' Fails." November 17, 2017
- ↑ Ohio Secretary of State, 2012 Election Results
- ↑ The Plain Dealer, "Ohio elections chief says Supreme Court Democratic candidate William O'Neill is qualified for primary ballot," January 18, 2012
- ↑ Terrence O'Donnell#2006 Election
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 The Columbus Dispatch, "O'Neill running for Supreme Court again," November 23, 2011
- ↑ WKYC.com, "Former Judge Bill O'Neill running for Supreme Court," November 22, 2011
- ↑ Ohio State Bar Association, Candidate ratings for the 2012 Supreme Court of Ohio election, June 6, 2012
- ↑ Ohio State Bar Association, OSBA Supreme Court of Ohio Candidate Ratings for the 2012 Election, September 27, 2012
- ↑ Judge4Yourself.com, 2012 Democratic Primary Ratings
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 The Columbus Dispatch, "State bar tells Dem Supreme Court candidate to stop saying justice is for sale," November 3, 2012
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